Save Yourself the Trouble: How to Quit Your Job With Grace by Just One Email

Contrary to conventional wisdom, giving a two weeks notice in person sends a professional message to your superiors. In addition, you should follow up with a resignation email that formalizes your intent to depart from the company.

The minimum is usually a period of two weeks, and it is a standard practice independent of the industry. However, if you have a contractual agreements, part of a union, or specific requirements, follow those specific guidelines pertaining to you.

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Also, processing the resignation for an employee may require forms to sign, and additional paperwork. So, be courteous and patient throughout the entire process no matter what.

In the next section, I will list what specific details need to be included in your two weeks notice email.

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Don’t Miss These Things in Your Email or You’ll Destroy Your Professional Image

As previously mentioned, it is important to inform your manager, supervisor or superior of your intent to leave your current post. It is possible the person who processes employee resignations is away from the office, so you are required to draft your two weeks notice by email.

The following are tips on how really format resignation email:

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Email manager, supervisor, or superior. Upon notifying in person your intent to resign, email the responsible person and include a carbon copy (cc). This facilitates archiving the message and make it easily available.

Give two weeks notice. In your subject line you should paste “Two weeks notice”. It will go straight to the point, and is the normal, and formal process to follow.

Do not provide specific details. Once you communicate your intent the rest follows a pretty straightforward process. Do not under any circumstances provide any negative feedback, or explicitly reasons why you are leaving. Just say something along the lines of moving on to the next step in your professional development. Do not burn bridges since your soon to be former employer will be contacted as a reference in the future.

Offer help or assistance. It is advisable and recommended to offer help while you complete your two week period. This means finishing any pending projects or tasks for the remainder of the time. But do not overcommit since you are transitioning out of the company.

Provide contact information. Once you have completed your two week period provide contact information. This can be a personal email address and a cell phone number. Since your work email address will get deactivated it makes sense to leave contact details in the event of something left to be completed.

Show gratitude. This is a pivotal point to keep in mind. Mention in your departure email in a few sentences why you enjoyed working there, and any relevant accomplishments. This leaves the door open and eliminates any possibilities of burning bridges.

Provide precise date of departure. This piece of information is central to you and your employer. This allows you and the organization to start figuring out logistics of finding a replacement. The date can never be overlooked.

Leave With Grace And Peace. No Love Loss.

Remember to maintain absolute professionalism from the moment you announce your intent to quit. You do not want your remaining days with your employer to be filled with a lot of stress, and frustration.

As long as you include these 7 things in your two weeks notice email, it will ensure that you can have a cordial departure. No matter what were the circumstances leave on good terms. You just might end up seeing someone or getting interviewed by someone who you used to work with, so it is therefore paramount to quit gracefully.

How to Write SMART Goals (With SMART Goals Templates)

Everyone needs a goal. Whether it’s in a business context or for personal development, having goals help you strive towards something you want to accomplish. It prevents you from wandering around aimlessly without a purpose.

But there are good ways to write goals and there are bad ways. If you want to ensure you’re doing the former, keep reading to find out how a SMART goals template can help you with it.

The following video is a summary of how you can write SMART goals effectively:

What Are SMART Goals?

refer to a way of writing down goals that follow a specific criteria. The earliest known use of the term was by George T. Doran in the November 1981 issue of Management Review, however, it is often associated with Peter Drucker’s management by objectives concept.[1]

SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. There are other variations where certain letters stand for other things such as “achievable” instead of attainable, and “realistic” instead of relevant.

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What separates a SMART goal from a non-SMART goal is that, while a non-SMART goal can be vague and ill-defined, a SMART goal is actionable and can get you results. It sets you up for success and gives you a clear focus to work towards.

And with SMART goals comes a SMART goals template. So, how do you write according to this template?

How to Write Smart Goals Using a SMART Goals Template

For every idea or desire to come to fruition, it needs a plan in place to make it happen. And to get started on a plan, you need to set a goal for it.

The beauty of writing goals according to a SMART goals template is that it can be applied to your personal or professional life.

If it’s your job to establish goals for your team, then you know you have a lot of responsibility weighing on your shoulders. The outcome of whether or not your team accomplishes what’s expected of them can be hugely dependant on the goals you set for them. So, naturally, you want to get it right.

On a personal level, setting goals for yourself is easy, but actually following through with them is the tricky part. According to a study by Mark Murphy about goal setting, participants who vividly described their goals were 1.2 to 1.4 times more likely to successfully achieve their goals.[2] Which goes to show that if you’re clear about your goals, you can have a higher chance of actually accomplishing them.

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Adhering to a SMART goals template can help you with writing clear goals. So, without further ado, here’s how to write SMART goals with a SMART goals template:

Specific

First and foremost, your goal has to be specific. Be as clear and concise as possible because whether it’s your team or yourself, whoever has to carry out the objective needs to be able to determine exactly what it is they are required to do.

To ensure your goal is as specific as it can be, consider the Ws:

Who = who is involved in executing this goal?

What = what exactly do I want to accomplish?

Where = if there’s a fixed location, where will it happen?

When = when should it be done by? (more on deadline under “time-bound”)

Why = why do I want to achieve this?

Measurable

The only way to know whether or not your goal was successful is to ensure it is measurable. Adding numbers to a goal can help you or your team weigh up whether or not expectations were met and the outcome was triumphant.

For example, “Go to the gym twice a week for the next six months” is a stronger goal to strive for than simply, “Go to the gym more often”.

Setting milestone throughout your process can also help you to reassess progress as you go along.

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Attainable

The next important thing to keep in mind when using a SMART goals template is to ensure your goal is attainable. It’s great to have big dreams but you want your goals to be within the realms of possibility, so that you have a higher chance of actually accomplishing them.

But that doesn’t mean your goal shouldn’t be challenging. You want your goal to be achievable while at the same time test your skills.

Relevant

For obvious reasons, your goal has to be relevant. It has to align with business objectives or with your personal aspirations or else, what’s the point of doing it?

A SMART goal needs to be applicable and important to you, your team, or your overall business agenda. It needs to be able to steer you forward and motivate you to achieve it, which it can if it holds purpose to something you believe in.

Time-Bound

The last factor of the SMART goals template is time-bound (also known as “timely”). Your goal needs a deadline, because without one, it’s less likely to be accomplished.

A deadline provides a sense of urgency that can motivate you or your team to strive towards the end. The amount of time you allocate should be realistic. Don’t give yourself—or your team—only one week if it takes three weeks to actually complete it. You want to set a challenge but you don’t want to risk over stress or burn out.

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Benefits of Using a SMART Goals Template

Writing your goals following a SMART goals template provides you with a clearer focus. It communicates what the goal needs to achieve without any fuss.

With a clear aim, it can give you a better idea of what success is supposed to look like. It also makes it easier to monitor progress, so you’re aware whether or not you’re on the right path.

It can also make it easier to identify bottlenecks or missed targets while you’re delivering the goal. This gives you enough time to rectify any problems so you can get back on track.

The Bottom Line

Writing goals is seemingly not a difficult thing to do. However, if you want it to be as effective as it can be, then there’s more to it than meets the eye.

By following a SMART goals template, you can establish a more concrete foundation of goal setting. It will ensure your goal is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound—attributes that cover the necessities of an effectively written goal.